1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plating device for continuously performing a metal plating on the surface of a strip-shaped or linear workpiece (plated material), and to a plating method.
2. Description of the Related Art
The plating device disclosed in JP-B 46-6322 or in JP-A 51-16238 is proposed as an example of a conventional plating device for continuously forming a metal plating on the surface of a strip-shaped or linear workpiece. The plating device and plating method according to these conventional techniques will be briefly described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 3 shows an example of the plating device disclosed in JP-B 46-6322.
This plating device has two drums 101A and 101B capable of rotating about the axis in the transverse direction and moving in the axis direction, arranged coaxially at a prescribed interval; work guides 102 and 103 for continuously feeding a workpiece 100 from the top of the drums 101A and 101B and guiding the workpiece over the drums so that the edges thereof are superposed on the external peripheral surfaces of both drums; and a feeding vent 104 and a discharge vent 105 for feeding the plating solution to a half-cylindrical space formed by the drums 101A and 101B and the workpiece 100. The device is configured so as to discharge the plating solution while the workpiece 100 is continuously fed, and to continuously apply a plating having a desired width on the workpiece 100 in the longitudinal direction. In this arrangement, the drums 101A and 101B are anodes, and rubber or another elastic insulating material 106 is wound onto the portion of the external periphery of the drums 101A and 101B that contacts the workpiece 100.
FIG. 4 shows an example of the conventional plating device disclosed in JP-A 51-16238.
In this plating device, an elastic insulator 122 is fixed to the external periphery of a rotatable drum 121 having anode characteristics, the external periphery of the drum 121 is exposed by providing a groove 123 in the elastic insulator 122 along the peripheral direction thereof, and a plating treatment is performed by applying a voltage between the drum 121 and a workpiece 100 while transporting the workpiece 100 wound on the external periphery of the drum 121 over the elastic insulator 122, feeding the plating solution to the groove 123 from the starting point 123a as indicated by the arrow A, and discharging the plating solution from the end point 123b as indicated by the arrow B.